WHA Executive Vice President Eric Borgerding began his testimony at the State Capitol February 4 by saying he wished he could deliver better news, but the fact is even the industry that was believed to be recession-proof—health care—is reeling in today’s economy.

"In many ways, hospitals are a bellwether, a gauge and indicator of the struggles families are facing in this economy," Borgerding said in invited testimony at a joint informational hearing of the Senate Committee on Children, Families and Workforce Development and the Assembly Committee on Children and Families.

Rapidly accelerating charity and bad debt figures coming out of hospitals at the close of 2008 are eye opening, but not altogether surprising. According to WHA, both figures increased by roughly 20 percent, an increase of $85 million (at cost), with most of that increase coming in the last two quarters.

"Hospitals treat everyone who comes to their door. So, rising charity care and bad debt confirms what we already know—as the economy sheds jobs, people are losing their health insurance or finding it increasing difficult to pay their health insurance deductibles," Borgerding said.

Increases in charity care and bad debt are the most visible, headline-grabbing measures, but there are others, according to Borgerding.

• Emergency department utilization among the uninsured is escalating, and the data indicates patients are arriving sicker and with more complicated medical conditions.
• At the same time ED usage is climbing, utilization in other areas of hospitals appears to be decreasing. Nationally, declines are being reported in elective/non-emergency surgical procedures. In Wisconsin, health care providers are reporting similar declines in elective procedures and important diagnostic procedures, such as colonoscopies, which are attributed to loss of insurance or difficulty paying high deductibles.

Borgerding explained that cost shifting is becoming more difficult to manage as the economy worsens and the number of uninsured, underinsured and Medicaid patients climb in Wisconsin hospitals. This is a dilemma for policymakers and hospitals alike, he said, as it means more hospital patients will be paying less than it costs to provide their care, which contributes to cost shifting. If eligibility is cut, or if Medicaid is not expanded to include low-income, uninsured childless adults, charity care will increase and lead to more cost shifting and even higher health care costs.

The proposed hospital assessment will alleviate a good portion of Medicaid cost shifting and bring the most relief to hospitals that care for large numbers of Medicaid patients and the uninsured, but only restoring or expanding insurance coverage can minimize the effects of cost shifting from charity care and bad debt, according to Borgerding.

"Rebuilding our economy and getting people back to work in good paying jobs with affordable health insurance for their families should be our top priority going forward," Borgerding said. "Right now, we must preserve and strengthen safety net programs such as Medicaid, BadgerCare and expansion of coverage to low-income, childless adults. These programs have served, or will serve, the state well, providing health coverage for those in greatest need and helping maintain Wisconsin’s low uninsured rate, which we all tout. However, these programs should not be viewed as a permanent solution, but in fact as a safety net, intended for times just like these."

In response to a question from Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma), Borgerding said WHA is closely monitoring the impact the recession is having on the hospital workforce.

"What we are seeing so far is hospitals trying to shield patient care areas from layoffs in every way possible. We know there have been layoffs and hospitals are delaying filling open positions, but we also know they are doing everything in their power to prevent cuts in patient care," according to Borgerding.

The entire text of Borgerding’s testimony is posted at: www.wha.org/governmentRelations/pdf/testimony2-4-09.pdf.

Over the past week, the Wisconsin Hospital Association and others like Gundersen Lutheran Health System of La Crosse have worked diligently with members of Congress on important amendments to help mitigate troubling Health Information Technology (HIT) concerns under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

As we alerted you in last week’s Valued Voice, WHA worked to ensure parity for the state’s 60 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to the incentive payment dollars under the Act. The version as passed by the U.S. House excludes CAHs while the Senate voted to provide CAHs with parity. WHA supports the Senate version and joins with the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC) in expressing appreciation to Wisconsin’s two Senators, Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, for their help on this issue.

Additionally, during Senate committee work Senator Kohl pushed for an amendment to allow for loans to "early adopters" of EMR so they will be able to meet the new privacy and compatibility standards. This recognizes the reality that providers have already moved forward with EMR, which is the case with various Wisconsin providers.

As the Senate debated final passage this week, WHA turned its full attention to pushing for two Senate amendments to address issues of concern under the privacy provisions of the Act: mitigating the "accounting of disclosure" provision, and limiting the extent quality initiatives would be impacted under the privacy provisions.

"Information about our health is some of the most sensitive data we own. With the changes in technology, we need to have thoughtful discussions about what is the right balance to strike between privacy and availability," said Gundersen Lutheran’s Chief Government Relations & External Affairs Officer Joan Curran.

"The goal should be to find solutions that will avoid the unnecessary burdens for patients, providers and health plans. The privacy language in the stimulus bill will increase the cost of care, diminish our ability to advance research, patient safety and quality efforts. We want to thank Senators Kohl and Feingold for their leadership in recognizing that we need more discussion on this important issue and for supporting the amendment to allow those discussions to begin."

Both amendments were still pending at time of printing.

The Senate’s version also maintained $87 billion in temporary Federal Medical Assistance Percentage increases which mirrors the House. This is estimated to be approximately $1.3 billion for Wisconsin.

Both the House and Senate versions include:

• Restoring the Medicare Indirect Medical Education (IME) capitol cost payments which were previously cut.
• Providing $600 million to support training for primary care doctors and nurses (scholarships, loans, etc.)
• Providing Medicaid provider HIT adoption payments (similar but not identical provisions in House/Senate)
• Including various HIT privacy protection provision (definition of breach, restrictions on use/disclosure of electronic medical records and relating provisions, etc.)

Wisconsin hospitals continue to break new ground in health care transparency initiatives as the WHA Information Center (WHAIC) today added two new reports to the PricePoint Web site (www.WIPricePoint.org).

The new reports build on Wisconsin hospitals’ commitment to make hospital costs and billing policies more transparent. First launched in 2005, the PricePoint Web site provides hospital-specific charges and financial data related to care provided in all hospitals and in Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery centers in Wisconsin.

Consumers can now access a hospital-specific summary of the charges for the 25 most common reasons for hospitalization in Wisconsin. The "Top 25" report provides the median charge in every Wisconsin hospital for maternity stays, appendectomies, and knee or hip replacements, to name just a few.

The second new report shows hospital-specific charges for selected non-life-threatening diagnoses that are commonly treated in a hospital emergency department, but might also be handled in an urgent care setting. If the hospital has urgent care services available, charges for the same diagnosis treated in urgent care are also displayed.

Wisconsin hospitals have led the country in their willingness to share information on the cost, quality and safety of the care they provide in their communities. WHAIC Vice President Joe Kachelski said the new reports on PricePoint are consumer-friendly and easy to find. He said the goal is to encourage patients to ask questions about their insurance coverage and the billing process in advance of receiving services whenever possible.

"Wisconsin hospitals want patients to be partners in all aspects of their care when possible. PricePoint is designed to help consumers have a better understanding of charges in advance of their treatment," Kachelski said.

Kachelski said a growing number of consumers are interested in learning about hospital and surgery center charges. He added, "As people assume more financial responsibility for their health care decisions through higher deductibles and co-payments, their desire for information increases. PricePoint is a good place to start their research."

All of the data on the PricePoint Web site is collected and published by the WHA Information Center. The WHAIC has collected and disseminated complete, accurate and timely data about charges and services provided by Wisconsin hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers under contract with the Wisconsin Department of Administration since 2004.

Learn about the major health care and hospital issues in line to be tackled by the new administration firsthand from keynote speaker Rick Pollack of AHA.

ONLINE REGISTRATION is now available at www.wha.org.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) launched a free service to help tax-exempt hospitals field test the Internal Revenue Service’s new Schedule H for community benefit reporting. Through March 15, hospitals can confidentially submit a mock Schedule H to Ernst & Young tax specialists retained by AHA and receive feedback to help them clarify and improve their responses. Participating hospitals also can see aggregated information on how other similar hospitals completed the form, with identifying information removed.

Recall that Schedule H is a brand new IRS form for reporting community benefit activities that tax-exempt hospitals will need to complete and file for tax year 2009. The IRS has never tested the form, so there are many uncertainties about its strengths and weaknesses in accurately conveying to the government and the public the wide range of benefits that hospitals provide to their communities. To help the field better understand and prepare, AHA is asking hospitals to participate in the AHA’s Schedule H project.

Hospitals can complete the mock Schedule H online at https://survey.ey.com/ScheduleHProject/ or download a copy to mail or fax to the consultant. Hospitals must file Part V of Schedule H with the IRS for tax year 2008 and begin filing the full schedule for tax year 2009.

Stephanie Sobczak is a new member of the quality department, recently joining WHA as manager of quality improvement. Sobczak brings with her eight years of quality improvement experience in the insurance industry focusing on health care organizations. In this position at WHA, Sobczak will develop and oversee multiple initiatives under the Aligning Forces for Quality program.

"We are very pleased to welcome Stephanie to our staff. She has an extensive background in quality improvement to share with Wisconsin hospitals as they continue their journey to provide the best care possible." said Dana Richardson, WHA’s vice president of quality.

Sobczak received her Master’s degree in Business Administration from Edgewood College, Master of Science from University of Oregon and Bachelor of Science from UW-Madison.

Aligning Forces for Quality is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, through a grant to the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality. In Wisconsin, Aligning Forces for Quality is a joint project by the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality, Wisconsin Hospital Association, and other organizations.

• If health reform is centered on expanding coverage for uninsured and recently unemployed workers and their families, we are seeing a seismic shift in the national landscape—with more to come.

The SCHIP (Medicaid for kids) legislation that passed Congress this week creates a near "universal" health care program providing Medicaid coverage to all of the nation’s children, regardless of family income. Obama Administration action suspending CMS Medicaid rules that restrict states’ ability to limit eligibility will add thousands to state Medicaid rolls. And new Medicaid funding included in the Economic Stimulus Bill is targeted to fast track added coverage for low income adults. For the recently unemployed, the pending bill includes provisions that extend COBRA benefits—perhaps indefinitely for some—with the federal government picking up much of the tab.

Washington observers say the sum total of the changes will dramatically expand the number of Americans who will qualify for government-subsidized health care. Critics say the changes will create a new entitlement for middle class families and produce long-term budget problems for state budgets once the federal money spigot is turned off. Many predict the migration of thousands of commercially insured to expanded government-subsidized programs that pay hospitals and physicians inadequately. The ability to cost shift losses may slowly disappear.

• Expanded coverage does not guarantee access and the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association (WPHCA) has produced a report (www.wphca.org/images/stories/Access1-28reducedsize.pdf) that represents an important agenda for expanding primary care access in Wisconsin. WPHCA is a strong strategic partner of WHA and of many hospitals in communities across the state. The group represents and advocates for community health centers that, along with hospital EDs, often are the portal for care delivery for our most vulnerable patient populations. Recent and anticipated new coverage expansions envisioned by D.C. and Madison lawmakers will quickly increase demands on these clinics and health centers. New infrastructure must be an access priority. And that’s a health reform imperative.

Steve Brenton
President

The University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI) recognized WHA’s role in helping hospitals statewide become tobacco-free campus-wide in a feature story on their Web site this month (www.ctri.wisc.edu).

Back in 2004, WHA partnered with the (UW-CTRI) to ensure that hospitals had proper treatments to help hospital staff and inpatients to quit smoking. An impetus for the partnership was the implementation of three new tobacco-treatment measurements on the CheckPoint (www.WICheckPoint.org) public reporting program for hospitals.

To accommodate the transition, UW-CTRI and WHA offered a series of teleconferences to share best practices and answer questions, attended by 55 different health care organizations. UW-CTRI created a manual so hospitals could take a systematic approach to treating tobacco use. UW-CTRI’s regional outreach specialists worked one-on-one with hospitals across the state to provide systematic staff training and technical assistance.

A tipping point occurred in 2006 when the WHA Board recommended all Wisconsin hospitals go completely smoke free throughout their campuses.

"It’s one thing to make a recommendation," WHA President Steve Brenton said. "It’s another to help staff make it a reality, and UW-CTRI’s support and tools were terrific."

"These efforts continue to be valuable resources to those attempting to give up tobacco use," said Dana Richardson, WHA vice president, quality initiatives.

Richardson said in the old days hospital staff didn’t think they had time to treat inpatients because hospital admissions were so brief. Now, smoke free hospitals can quickly intervene with inpatients who smoke by using standing orders to start medication to help them quit tobacco. Many hospitals have enrolled patients in services from the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line, either via Fax to Quit or brochures on Quit Line services. To contact the Quit Line, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW. To order materials, visit www.WiQuitLine.org.

"It’s consistent with the general evolution in our focus from acute care to prevention," Richardson said.

This shift isn’t just anecdotal. Wisconsin hospitals rate at or near national averages for Joint Commission measures on tobacco interventions. Wisconsin hospitals treat tobacco use among 98 percent of heart-attack patients, 95 percent of heart-failure patients and 91 percent of patients with pneumonia or other lung and respiratory illnesses. "Those are the patients we measure," Richardson said, "but most hospitals intervene with every patient." Hospital staff now understands that smoking impairs healing, and a hospital visit is a teachable moment.

Brenton and Richardson agreed there is always room for improvement when it comes to helping inpatients to quit smoking. The next challenge is to incorporate the same standard of care throughout an entire health care system—including clinics. And, as smoking wanes among the general population, health care providers will need to focus on helping specific demographics who smoke, such as pregnant mothers.

Still, Brenton said there is much to celebrate. He thinks the systematic approach to tobacco treatment by Wisconsin hospitals is a model for addressing other health maladies and behavior changes, such as combating obesity. "I don’t think there’s any question that the biggest public health improvement in the last decade has been on smoking."

Thanks to CTRI Communications Coordinator Christopher Hollenback for sharing his article with WHA.

On March 6 in Wisconsin Dells, WHA is offering a workshop designed to train those who complete the WHA community benefit survey by providing examples of "what counts" and where/how to include the activity in the online Lyon’s CBISA^TM software. Many hospitals continue to have questions about what can be counted, how to assign dollar values to non-material contributions, and how to integrate the WHA survey into the processes they may already have set up to collect this data.

Staff from WHA and Lyon Software will be available to answer questions and concerns that member hospitals may have about processes related to gathering and reporting this data. In addition, the new IRS Form 990 Schedule H regulations for hospitals will take effect in 2010. Schedule H will be reviewed at this session, as all hospitals need to be ready for individual hospital reporting of community benefits.

Any hospital employee involved in collecting benefit data or completing the WHA survey is strongly encouraged to attend. The registration fee is $85 per person, which includes copies of three important publications:

• A Guide for Planning and Reporting Community Benefit (2008 Edition), published by the Catholic Health Association
• 2008 Wisconsin County Health Rankings, developed by the UW Population Health Institute
• WHA Community Benefits Report 2008, published by the Wisconsin Hospital Association

The brochure is included in this week’s packet and is also available at www.wha.org, along with online registration. For information on program content, contact Mandy Ayers at mayers@wha.org, or call 608-274-1820. For registration information, contact Lisa Geishirt at lgeishirt@wha.org or 608-274-1820.

Topics: Strategic Planning and Dealing with Disruptive Professionals

Take advantage of nationally-recognized, CME-qualifying education, while minimizing the cost for registration and travel.

Reminder: Deadline for the group rate at The American Club: February 20

WHA’s annual one-day conference for executive assistants and other administrative support staff from hospitals will be held March 13 at the Tundra Lodge Resort in Green Bay. This year’s agenda will focus on methods to improve your attitude and communication skills while incorporating the concept of "customer" in your daily interaction, as well as tackling the issues that you and your peers deal with on a daily basis in a humorous way while finding practical solutions.

This program is designed for executive and administrative assistants, business office managers, and other support staff in hospitals and other health care settings. A brochure and registration form are included in this week’s packet. Please pass it on to the valued administrative support service professionals in departments throughout your organization.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is sponsoring National Hospital Week, May 10-16, in celebration of the more than five million people who work in America’s hospitals. This year’s theme, "A Healthy Commitment in Changing Times," acknowledges that hospitals, even in times of economic crisis and change, put patients first.

A planning guide has been mailed to AHA member hospitals, which includes tips, activities and instructions to help you promote appreciation for your employees.

Wisconsin Literacy is offering a two-day "2009 Health Literacy Summit" scheduled March 31- April 1 in Madison. The Summit will focus on communication between health care professionals and adult literacy educators and the exchange of ideas on how to improve the delivery of health care to Wisconsin adults with low literacy and limited English speaking skills.

The WHA Foundation is a lead sponsor of this event, and as a supporter of the statewide initiatives to raise the awareness of the issue of health literacy, the WHA Foundation encourages WHA member hospitals to send a representative. The agenda, hotel information and online registration can be found at www.wisconsinliteracy.org.

The Summit will include a keynote address by Andrew Pleasant, PhD, of Rutgers University and co-author of the book, Advancing Health Literacy: A Framework for Understanding and Action. In addition, options for 28 workshops and information sessions will be offered, focusing on topics such as the National Action Plan for Health Literacy, The Joint Commission’s new health literacy standards, and medication labeling and safety.

For more information, contact Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. at 608-257-1655 or info@wisconsinliteracy.org. For more information about the WHA Foundation, contact Jennifer Frank at 608-274-1820 or jfrank@wha.org.

Needing medical care and not having a convenient means of transportation to access that care is a terrible situation for anyone to face.

In 1987, the Veterans Hospital in collaboration with the Wisconsin Disabled American Veterans (DAV) service organization began providing transportation assistance for medical care for veterans in need. Initially, this program mainly utilized volunteer drivers and their personal vehicles. Since that small beginning, the program has expanded utilizing DAV vans donated to the Veterans Hospital. Presently, the program includes four DAV vans, one each in Columbia County and Grant County as well as two vans in Dane County. Annually, these vans are transporting approximately 4,200 veterans over 145,000 miles so they can get to their medical care.

Veterans in need of transportation to the Veterans Hospital for diagnostic, specialty and sub-specialty care from the communities of Rockford and Freeport, Illinois, where the hospital has primary care clinics, receive assistance as well. In partnership with the Winnebago County Veterans Association and the Allied Veterans Council of Stephenson County, leased vans are utilized with volunteer drivers to assistance these veterans. These programs began in 1997 and 1995, respectively. Annually, these vans are transporting approximately 3,500 veterans over 75,000 miles to get the care they need.

To help ensure the safety of the veterans being transported, all volunteer drivers are certified which includes receiving detailed background checks that incorporate fingerprinting, a physical exam to determine appropriateness to drive, orientation to their assignment including on-the-job training with an existing volunteer driver, annual reviews, and annual refresher training. The Veterans Hospital presently utilizes the services of over 70 volunteer drivers as well as volunteer coordinators in the out-lying communities who schedule the riders and volunteer drivers.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 200,000 Americans die of sudden cardiac arrest every year. Up to 50,000 of these deaths could have been prevented if someone had initiated the Cardiac Chain of Survival, and an automated external defibrillator (AED) had been available for immediate use at the time of emergency.

Columbus Community Hospital took a step toward supplying AEDs in area churches by sponsoring a "Walk in the Park" Tuesday, May 13 at the Columbus Fireman’s Park Pavilion. Proceeds from the event are being used to purchase AEDs for area churches.

"Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in the United States," said Chris DeLapp, CCH education coordinator and CPR instructor. "By supplying public places, such as churches, with AEDs, we can help improve the chances of survival from sudden cardiac arrest."

An AED is a device about the size of a laptop computer that analyzes the heart’s rhythm for any abnormalities and, if necessary, directs the rescuer to deliver an electrical shock to the victim. This shock, called defibrillation, may help the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm of its own.

Delivering an electrical shock to the heart (the third step in the cardiac chain of survival) is recognized as the most critical step in restoring cardiac rhythm and resuscitating a victim of sudden cardiac arrest.

The cardiac chain of survival consists of four steps: early access to care (calling 9-1-1 or another emergency number), early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), early defibrillation, and early advanced cardiac life support, as needed.

"Unlike a heart attack, many victims of sudden cardiac arrest have no prior symptoms, meaning sudden cardiac arrest can strike anyone, at any time, anywhere," explained DeLapp.

Columbus Community Hospital discovered the need for hosting a fundraising effort for AEDs after researching available grants for area churches. Once the need surfaced, Columbus Community Hospital dedicated over 60 hours of staff time to plan and hold the walk. In addition, the hospital donated all marketing materials for the walk and supplied participants with an opportunity to try out an actual AED training device under the direction of an instructor.

Because of Columbus Community Hospital’s initiative to organize the event, three churches in Columbus and Fall River are now well on their way to completing their goal to purchase an AED.

One way that Langlade Hospital reaches out to the community is to provide support to the Boys & Girls Club of Langlade County to help in building healthier children through the snack and meal programs offered at the Boys and Girls Club.

Every day during the summer schedule, the Boys and Girls club offers Club Members a balanced breakfast consisting of cold cereals or oatmeal with milk, in addition to yogurt, applesauce, cheese sticks, crackers and fruit that are available as a supplement at every meal. Also, every Club Member is provided a cold box lunch every day. The lunch consists of sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, chips or a pasta cup and milk with the option of adding yogurt, applesauce, cheese sticks, crackers and fruit. Club Members are required to maintain healthy eating habits by being required to take the correct number of foods from each food group for every meal.

During the school year the club offers Club Members an after-school snack that consists of a sandwich, fruit/vegetable, cheese sticks, applesauce, yogurt, juice box, milk and crackers. Of course, the kids are allowed to choose snacks that they enjoy but must pick from the five basic food groups to ensure they are receiving a balanced snack.

The Boys and Girls Club holds an Annual Thanksgiving Dinner for Club Members and their families. It is just one more step in making sure that Club Members have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Dinner.

Langlade Hospital along is proud to support the Boys and Girls Club of Langlade County – A Positive Place for Kids.

Like Tom Hanks in the movie "Big," middle school students discovered being an adult is a little more complicated than they thought.

More than 600 students from middle schools in Northwest Wisconsin attended Reality Store 2008 at Wessman Arena on April 8-9. The two-day event was put on by local teachers and supported by more than 35 businesses to teach eighth graders about the privileges and responsibilities of being an adult.

Eighth graders from six schools entered the arena and were arbitrarily assigned occupations from bank teller to oral surgeon along with a corresponding salary. Some professions came with health insurance, others didn’t. They were also told if they were married or single and whether they had children.

Using a worksheet to help manage their income and expenses, eager students stepped up to booths and made decisions on transportation—did they want to buy a car or a bus pass? Everyone needed housing: some chose to rent an apartment and others bought a house. Those who had make-believe children had to arrange for day care.

Diana Toman, manager of health information services, and Barb Misiewicz, manager of nutrition services, both at St. Mary’s Hospital of Superior, manned the booth where students arranged for health care.

"Like in real life, things happen," Toman said. One student received a "chance card" saying his make-believe child had symptoms of appendicitis. Toman walked him through the care his child would need. "I told him that the child would need an ultrasound and how much that would cost," Toman said. "That’s when their eyes get bigger and bigger. Most eighth graders have no idea how much this will cost."

One of the rules at this two-day event was that students couldn’t spend more than they made in a month, so there were consequences for every expenditure. Toman was pleased to tell the eighth grader that his pretend child had only a stomach ache, and his health insurance would cover 80 percent of the ultrasound and related costs.

"Let me help you figure out your portion of that," she said.

Some students could financially handle the unexpected expense. "Some had to sell their car and then talk about a payment plan," Misiewicz said. "We coached them along as they made decisions adults—even their parents—make every day."

Barb Wessberg, rehabilitation manager for St. Mary’s Hospital of Superior, coordinated her hospital’s participation in Reality Store 2008. She said the annual event is rewarding because it helps young people gain a better appreciation and understanding for health care services and the costs associated with them. Some even ask about careers in the health care field.

"Our goal is to help these students understand the decisions that someday they will have to make about their health care—site of service, professionals to seek out, cost of services," Wessberg said. "This is a great age to start that dialogue."

When Tim Prochnow heard about a competition designed to help members of the Medford community slim down, shape up, and get healthy, he was quick to sign up.

"I decided to participate to not only lose some weight and get in better shape for myself, but also to encourage my wife and some friends to do the same," Prochnow says.

Sponsored by Memorial Health Center; Medford Therapy & Fitness; and the local newspaper, The Star News; the 15-week "Spring Meltdown" competition’s purpose was to promote healthier living among Medford area residents.

"It sounded like it would be a great time since it had some similarities to the Biggest Loser TV program," Prochnow says.

Ultimately, 26 teams totaling 130 participants registered to compete for a $1,200 cash first prize built from team registration fees. Every member of the top three teams received a free and complete body and health risk assessment provided by Memorial Health Center.

During the competition, teams earned points for weight loss; attendance at point-eligible health and wellness forums offered by Memorial Health Center and Medford Therapy & Fitness; attendance at free Medford Therapy & Fitness exercise classes; and participation in point-eligible community sporting events like snowshoe and cross country skiing races, marathons, a volleyball tournament, and a couch potato race in which participants pushed a couch down the street while stopping to complete activities along the way.

With 123 points, the winning team was 5, 6, 7, 8, Hope We Lose a Lot of Weight. The five-member team lost a combined 96 pounds. The combined weight loss of all participants attending the final weigh-in was nearly 1,500 pounds.

Prochnow’s team placed second. While he did not go home with the cash prize, he still feels like a champion.

"I lost approximately 22 pounds and have kept it off. I have decreased my resting pulse and my [Body Mass Index] and I’ve increased my cardiovascular stamina and my muscle content. I believe [the healthy lifestyle I adopted] is vital to not only extending my life, but for also allowing me [to enjoy] a more active lifestyle as I age."

Prochnow says he enjoyed the variety of activities and the quality of information that was offered throughout the competition. He says the lessons he learned were especially valuable in helping him make long-term lifestyle and attitude changes.

"I learned that weight management and fitness are lifelong processes and not once in a while endeavors. I also learned that getting in shape can be fun when others are involved. I now work out two or three times a week, and I eat more fruits and vegetables."

With or without a cash prize as motivation, Prochnow says he would participate in another "Spring Meltdown" competition in the future because he had such a great time and it has had such a positive impact on his life. Plus, "I still have some weight to lose," he says.

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